With Arbuckle signing in Ottawa, Stampeders get first overall pick

Calgary Stampeders, Nick Arbuckle during the Stamps practice and press conference before taking on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL Semi-Finals at McMahon stadium in Calgary on Saturday, November 9, 2019. Darren Makowichuk/PostmediaDarren Makowichuk / DARREN MAKOWICHUK/Postmedia

The Calgary Stampeders will be picking first overall in the 2020 CFL Draft.

The Stamps secured that right on Friday afternoon when the Ottawa Redblacks signed former Calgary backup Nick Arbuckle to a two-year deal.

The Stamps traded Arbuckle’s rights to the Redblacks at the beginning of January so that the Ottawa franchise could negotiate with him exclusively before free agency started. The Stamps received a third-round draft pick in exchange for Arbuckle, as well as a pick swap in the first round if Arbuckle signed — which he did on Friday.

“It’ was nice that Nick played at the high level he did that allowed all this to happen,” said Stamps president/GM John Hufnagel earlier in January. “When I was talking to the people that were interested I said ‘Look, let’s just do what they did with Mike Reilly a couple years ago when Mike was an up-and-comer and Edmonton stepped up and wanted exclusivity to talk to him before free agency.’

“It was a very similar trade.”

The Redblacks will now draft fifth in the first-round in this May’s draft.

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